"If you find out your child is sexting, understand it's a fairly normative behavior; it doesn't mean your kid is deviant or in a life of crime," study co-author Jeff Temple told the Chicago Tribune. "It means they're interested in their sexuality and sex."

Still, the study revealed a few troublesome findings. Twelve percent of teens reported they forwarded sexts to someone without permission from the original sender — and approximately 8 percent said they received a sext without consent.

“If we look at things like sexual behavior with teens, if it’s consensual and both teens wanted it and are okay with it, you are not going to see the negative psychological health,” Jeff Temple told CNN. “If it was nonconsensual or coerced, that is where you see the negative mental health problems, and we see the same thing with sexting.”

The rate of nonconsensual sexting among younger youth is concerning, authors wrote, urging experts and policymakers to make this a primary concern.

In some states (including Georgia), the act of sending nude photos of people under age 18, even among consenting teens, is illegal.